Scheme members benefit most when their scheme has strong governance, with trustees, sponsors and their advisers working as a partnership to ensure benefits are paid as promised.

Strategic decisions are of paramount importance; time and resources spent here will contribute far more to achieving the best results than anywhere else. We believe the best strategic decisions are made by trustees who actively challenge and debate issues with their advisers. This leads to engaging discussions which drive our enthusiasm for our work.

We enjoy what we do and we aim to bring this enthusiasm to our discussions with you. We work as a team with the trustees and sponsors, negating conflicts of interest, real or perceived, so that objectives are met efficiently. We hope that you can, as much as is possible, enjoy setting, monitoring and discussing your investment strategy with us.

Marcus Whitehead, Partner and Head of Investment Consulting, talks about the current investment landscape.

“The complex strategy review on Inflation and Interest Rates in particular has delivered
significant benefits to the Scheme and you were able to explain the complex investment strategy in a simple
manner so that we could all understand and make an informed decision.”

Does regular and reliable income as well as the scope for capital appreciation provided by illiquid assests really offer defined benefit (DB) funds the best of both worlds? We examine several considerations for trustees of DB plans in owning them.

Trustees of DC schemes have never had more choice in the range of available investment options. Here we analyse the strength and weaknesses of four alternative approaches to passive global equities and diversified growth funds.

The Scotland Act 2012 gives the Scottish Parliament the power to set the Scottish rate of income tax. As a
result, since 6 April 2016, Scottish taxpayers have been subject to lower rates of UK income tax.

Rather than speculating on the results of the vote on whether the UK should remain part of the European Union (EU), our interactive webinar will offer practical guidance on the issues schemes should be considering.

As part of their most recent actuarial valuation, Tate & Lyle were seeking to continue to de-risk their £1 billion legacy DB pension scheme, but without a significant increase in deficit recovery contributions.

In 2013 the Trustees of a Charity asked us to use modelling to illustrate possible future investment returns and volatility resulting from the Charity’s current asset allocation, and then to suggest possible alternative asset allocations.

During early 2012, one of our schemes was constrained by the funding basis and the availability of contributions from the employer to the extent that it could not afford to reduce the level of risk and purchase additional protection.

We are delighted to have been named Investment Consultant of the Year 2015 at Global Investor’s annual Investment Excellence Awards. The awards, now in their fifteenth year, recognise the achievements of asset managers and associated firms.

We are delighted to learn that our client Findel Group Pension Fund has been recognised with the Trustee Board of the Year at the Engaged Investor Awards which took place at the Montcalm London Hotel on 2 July 2015.